Soluble powder for espresso type beverage

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a soluble coffee beverage powder, which, upon the addition of water, forms a coffee beverage having a foamed upper surface. In particular the invention relates to a soluble coffee beverage which closely assimilates the texture characteristics of an Italian espresso, namely a beverage with a fine crema, but which has a reduced bitterness compared with freshly brewed espresso but which nevertheless is strong in aroma. The soluble coffee beverage powder includes a soluble gas containing matrix that has between 10% and 35% soluble coffee solids by weight of the total dry matter of the matrix, from about 10% to about 35% pre-flocculated creamer by weight, and from about 12% to about 30% oligosaccharrides effective to dilute protein in the creamer by weight. The soluble beverage powder upon reconstitution with hot water provides a foamed upper surface based upon all of the ingredients, and in which the foamed upper layer substantially all of the foam is made up of bubbles having a diameter in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 mm. For a particular good aroma the soluble coffee beverage powder includes aqueous aroma. In another aspect, the invention relates to a process for making such a product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of the US national phasedesignation of International application PCT/EP01/12044 filed Oct. 17,2001, the entire content of which is expressly incorporated herein byreference thereto.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to a soluble coffee beverage powder,which, upon the addition of water, forms a coffee beverage having afoamed upper surface. In particular the invention relates to a solublecoffee beverage which when reconstituted has a “crema”.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0003] Soluble coffee beverage products are well known products, whichupon the addition of water (usually hot) provide a coffee beverage. Itis also well known to mix the soluble coffee powder with soluble creameror whitener powders to produce whitened coffee beverages. Theseclassical soluble beverage products are coffee beverages without anyfoam on the upper surface.

[0004] Soluble coffee beverage products of the instant “cappuccino” typeare also known and are commercially available. Usually these productsare dry mixes of a soluble coffee powder and a soluble whitener powder.The soluble whitener powder contains pockets of gas, which, upondissolution of the powder, produce foam. Therefore, upon the addition ofwater (usually hot), a whitened coffee beverage, which has a milk basedfoam on its upper surface, is formed; the beverage resembling, to agreater or less extent, traditional Italian cappuccino.

[0005] In coffee bars and restaurants, it is usual to serve freshlybrewed black coffee that is prepared on the basis of roast and ground.The freshly brewed black coffee is characterized by a light brown foamylayer that covers the upper surface of the beverage. The coffee isusually prepared in an espresso-type machine in which one may, e.g.,brew a short strong espresso or a larger cup of black coffee.

[0006] The light brown foamy layer on the espresso is not milk based, asis the case for cappuccino beverages, but it originates from the carbondioxide and air captured in the coffee ground and that are released whenthe coffee is brewed. The foamy layer on an espresso is often referredto as a “crema”. The crema on a freshly brewed espresso is characterizedas a light brown foamy layer, which covers substantially all the surfaceof the beverage, and remains on it during consumption.

[0007] The espresso-type beverage is generally found attractive toconsumers. However, espresso-type beverages have a particular bittertaste, which to some consumers is considered to be too strong. A commonproblem when aiming to reduce bitterness of coffee beverage is that thecoffee aroma will be diluted as well. Further, if, e.g., sugar is usedto mask bitterness in a coffee beverage, once sufficient sugar has beenadded to the beverage, sugar becomes dominant in the cup profile. Milk,especially whole milk, may be used for balance of aggressive note of thecoffee beverage and mask the potential process notes. However, milk assuch is found not to be sufficient for masking the bitterness of thecoffee beverage.

[0008] Accordingly, there is a need for a new soluble coffee beverage,which is an alternative to the above-discussed soluble beverage powder,and to one that is reminiscent of a freshly brewed espresso-typebeverage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention now provides a soluble coffee beveragewhich closely assimilates the texture characteristics of an Italianespresso, namely a beverage with a fine crema, but which has a reducedbitterness compared with freshly brewed espresso despite retaining astrong aroma. The crema substantially covers the entire surface of thebeverage in a thin layer and is sufficient stable to remain on thesurface of the beverage until the last sip of the beverage.

[0010] The present invention also provides a soluble coffee beveragethat comprises a soluble coffee creamer that can be reconstitutedwithout flocculation problems. Moreover, this soluble coffee beveragepowder has a substantially homogeneous color.

[0011] In particular, the present invention provides a soluble coffeebeverage that includes a soluble gas containing matrix comprising frombetween 10% and 35% soluble coffee solids by weight of the total drymatter of the matrix, from about 10% to about 35% pre-flocculatedcreamer by weight, and from about 12% to about 30% oligosaccharrideseffective to dilute protein in the creamer by weight. Upon the additionof water, this powder forms a coffee beverage having a foamed uppersurface. In this foamed upper layer, substantially all of the foam ismade up of bubbles having diameters in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 mm.

[0012] Another embodiment of the invention relates to a process forproviding a soluble coffee beverage powder, which, upon the addition ofwater, is forming a coffee beverage having a foamed upper surface. Thisprocess comprises providing between 10% and 35% soluble coffee solids byweight of the total dry matter of the matrix, from about 10% to about35% pre-flocculated creamer by weight, and from about 12% to about 30%oligosaccharrides effective to dilute protein in the creamer by weight,mixing the ingredients to a wet mix with a liquid, incorporating gasinto the mixture, and drying the wet mix to a soluble beverage powdercomprising a gas-containing matrix, which soluble beverage powder uponreconstituting provides a foamed upper surface based upon all of theingredients. As noted above, in this foamed upper layer, substantiallyall of the foam is made up of bubbles having a diameter in the range of0.05 to 0.5 mm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0013] It has surprisingly been found that the soluble coffee beverageof the invention may be obtained by providing a wet mix containingbetween 10 and 35% of coffee solids and 10 to 35% coffee creamer, and 12to 30% oligosaccharrides. The viscosity of the wet mix is loweredcompared to that of milk or cream wet mix without coffee. This enablesthat, when the wet mix is subsequently subjected to gassing in an amounteffective to foam the product, a fine gas bubble is capable of beinggenerated. The size of these bubbles is substantially smaller thanbubbles that are, e.g., generated in conventional foaming coffeecreamers based on milk or cream solids. If the gassed wet mixsubsequently is subjected to a homogenization step, a further reductionof the bubble gas size in the wet mix may be obtained. These small sizegas bubbles are retained in the product once it has been dried. When thesoluble beverage powder is reconstituted it has a foam upper surface offine bubbles with the characteristics of an espresso crema.

[0014] It has further been found that aqueous based aroma is particulardesirable for use in the present invention. When aqueous based aroma isused in a wet mix, it uses milk fat or other fat in the coffee creameras a carrier. Further, it has been found that the aqueous aroma masksthe cooked taste of the coffee and contributes with a fresh brewed tasteto the beverage. In this context it should be appreciated that aqueousbased aroma is normally the part of the aroma that is considered a wasteproduct. This makes it even more surprising that the aqueous based aromahas the advantages described herein.

[0015] It has also been found that the cup profile of such a formulationlacks of bitterness and other notes typically of fresh brewed coffee.This may occasionally occur with some soluble beverage powders, butoften special soluble beverage notes are present such as notesassociated with “dry”, “caramel” and “bready” notes. These notes may bereduced by adding milk or coffee whitener to the soluble beverage, butthey cannot be eliminated totally in this way. It has surprisingly beenfound that by using aqueous aroma according to the present invention,these kinds of notes may be eliminated totally.

[0016] Surprisingly, the aqueous aroma also masks the cooked notes ofthe milk powder or creamer component usually in soluble milk coffeebeverages. Furthermore, the aqueous aroma boosts the coffee aromaintensity without introducing any aggressive notes or off flavors.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the ingredients arewet mixed together prior to drying. This gives an attractivesubstantially homogeneous color to the coffee beverage powder.

[0018] Advantageously coffee aroma is incorporated in the wet mix aswell. Preferably aqueous based aroma as discussed above is used. Thishas the advantage that the coffee aroma is also present in the foam onthe surface of the beverage, as opposed to, e.g., the milk-based foam ona cappuccino that usually lacks aroma. The beverage provided by theinvention may therefore have a foamer with a strong smell of coffee,which corresponds to the crema on an Italian espresso.

[0019] It is of course possible to merely mix together a soluble coffeepowder and an appropriate creamer powder to provide a soluble beveragepowder having the coffee and creamer in the correct proportions.However, the soluble beverage powder obtained does not provide anacceptable solution. In particular, the soluble coffee powder and thecreamer powder are prone to separate to some extent during storage.Therefore it is difficult to ensure that the soluble beverage powder iscompletely homogeneous. Also the soluble beverage powder does not have ahomogeneous color. Further, upon reconstitution, the milk proteins inthe creamer tend to flocculate and this severely affects consumerperception of the product.

[0020] Further, it is not possible to produce an acceptable product bysimply mixing together a liquid creamer and a coffee extract and thendrying the mixture to powder. Although the powder obtained will behomogeneous, when reconstituted, flocculated milk proteins are veryvisible in the beverage obtained. The flocculated milk proteins severelyaffect consumer acceptability. The problem of flocculation of the milkproteins in coffee beverages has been satisfactorily dealt with in U.S.Pat. No. 5,620,733. This patent describes a process in which the milkproteins are subjected to a controlled flocculation step duringprocessing. Subsequently to the controlled flocculation step, the liquidcreamer and a small amount of coffee extract are subjected tohomogenization and drying to provide a creamer powder. Further solublecoffee powder is then dry mixed in with the creamer powder. Afterprocessing in this way, any flocculated milk proteins in thereconstituted beverage are too small to be visible. In the context ofthe present invention it is desirable to subject the wet mix to apre-flocculation treatment corresponding to that of U.S. Pat. No.5,620,733.

[0021] It has further surprisingly been found that in a wet mix of thesekind coffee solids in as high as between 25% and 35% coffee solids byweight may be mixed with a creamer if the creamer has been subjected toa pre-flocculation treatment. This may be possible without anyflocculation of the milk protein in the coffee creamer. For somepurposes it is advantages to add stabilizers to the wet mix gives thebeverage a lighter color. It is preferred that from 0.25% to 1.5% ofstabilizers by weight be added to the other ingredients.

[0022] In the present context unless otherwise indicated the weight %given are based on the weight of the solids in the final product.

[0023] For the preparation of the beverage powder, coffee solids areconveniently provided in the coffee liquor. The coffee liquor may beobtained using any suitable procedure. Usually, the coffee liquor isprepared by concentrating a coffee extract obtained from a coffeeextraction process to the desired coffee concentration. The coffeeextract may be produced in the usual manner by subjecting roasted coffeebeans to extraction. Any suitable extraction procedure may be usedbecause the choice and design of the extraction procedure is a matter ofpreference and has no critical impact on the invention. Suitableextraction procedures are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,897,903 and5,997,929, the entire disclosures of each of which are expresslyincorporated herein by reference thereto. Similarly, any suitableconcentration procedure may be used because the choice and design of theconcentration procedure is a matter of preference by the skilled artisanand has no critical impact on the invention. Of course, the coffeeliquor may also be prepared by dissolving soluble coffee powder in waterto the desired concentration.

[0024] Coffee replacers or surrogates such as chicory may also be used,but this will provide a cup profile that is less aromatic and has nocoffee aroma at all.

[0025] Soluble creamer powders are well known and are widely used,particularly as coffee or tea creamers. Conventionally creamer powderscontain protein, fats and sweeteners but other ingredients such asemulsifiers, stabilizers and buffers may also be included. Further, thecreamers come in various forms such as milk-based creamer powders andnon-dairy creamer powders, and gassed creamer powders. These creamerpowders are typically produced by subjecting a solution containing theircomponents to spray drying.

[0026] For the present invention preferred coffee creamers are wholemilk or skimmed milk, natural or reconstituted from powder; milkderivatives a cream or coffee whitening agent comprising for instancelactic proteins, lactose and where appropriate vegetable fat.

[0027] It has been found that oligosaccharrides which have the effect ofdiluting the protein of coffee creamers are particular useful in thebeverage powder according to the invention. This effect of certainoligosaccharrides is a means for reducing sediment and flocculationproblems in the beverage. A preferred amount of oligosaccharrides ofthis type is in the range of 12 to 30% by weight of solid matter of thebeverage powder.

[0028] A preferred oligosaccharride is oligofructose. It has been foundto have particular protein diluting effects. In addition, although theoligofructose has no particular foam stabilizing effect, it is perfectlysoluble and may be added e.g. up from 1 to 25% (related to dry matter)without changing the cup profile.

[0029] Advantageously, the oligofructose has a degree of polymerizationbetween 2 and 8. A suitable oligofructose may be obtained from Raftilose(Orafti). To minimize the impact on the cup profile, it is desirablethat the oligofructose has a concentration of mono- and disaccharides inthe range from about 3% to about 7%.

[0030] A positive side effect of the high amount of oligofructose isthat the beverage of the invention may have a prebiotic effect. Aprebiotic effect may possible be achieved at a daily dose of 6 goligofructose. This corresponds to a consumption of 2 to 4 cups ofbeverage a day.

[0031] An alternative oligosaccharride, which may preferably be used, islactose, which dilutes the protein of the milk in the same way.

[0032] Stabilizers may be used in order in an amount sufficient toreduce flocculation or in order to eliminate obvious feathering duringthe preparation of the coffee beverage. If the dispersion of thepre-flocculated protein and the fat particles is fine enough, thebeverage is uniformly yellow brown. In the case of flocculation, thebeverage becomes darker because the particles float to the downside ofthe foam or to the bottom of the cup. The stabilizers reducesedimentation. It is preferred that from 0.25% to 1.5% of stabilizers byweight is added to the ingredients. Preferably, a combination ofphosphates and citrates is used. It has been found that this combinationmay be used without generation of soapy notes, which often is presentwhen stabilizers are used.

[0033] The soluble coffee beverage powder may also include a solublesweetener, natural or artificial. Suitable examples include sucrose,fructose, lactose, maltose, saccharin, cyclamates, acetosulfame,L-aspartyl based sweeteners such as aspartame, and the like, andmixtures of these. The amount of the sweetener used will vary dependingupon the desired level of sweetness and the strength of the sweetener.However for sugar based sweeteners, the total amount of sweeteners isusually in the range of about 10% to about 25% by weight. The solublesweetener may also be combined with bulking agents such as maltodextrinsand polydextrose, particularly if an artificial sweetener is used. Inthis case, the total amount of sweetener and bulking agent is usually inthe range of about 10% to about 25% by weight; artificial sweeteneritself usually comprising less than 1% by weight. For a sweeter varietyof the soluble beverage powder according to the invention, a more sweettype of oligofructose may also be selected. An oligofructose with up to45% mono- and disaccharides is particular suitable for this purpose.

[0034] In a preferred version of the soluble coffee beverage of theinvention, from 15 to 25% of sugar are included.

[0035] The present invention provides a soluble coffee beverage, whichclosely assimilates the texture characteristics of an Italian espresso,namely a beverage with a fine crema. The reconstituted beverage providesa foamed upper surface of all of the ingredients, and in whichsubstantially all of the foam is made up of bubble having a diameter inthe range of 0.05 to 0.5 mm. A bubble size in this range can barely beseen with the bare eye. The invention provides foam with a bubble sizeso small that substantially no single bubbles can be detected in themain part of the crema. This applies also to a cream of an Italian styleEspresso.

[0036] It has been found that with a powder particles size from 100 to200 μm, and the gas bubbles in the powder are in the walls of bubbles,the bubble size after preparation is between 0.01 and 0.5 mm and thepressure in the bubbles is below 5 bar. A more preferred foam bubblediameter is in the range of 0.1 to 0.4 mm, and even more preferred inthe range of 0.2 to 0.3 mm. It has been found that with small foambubble diameters such as from 0.05 to 0.5 mm, a crema is obtained thatsubstantially covers the entire surface of beverage in a thin layer andthat it is sufficiently stable to remain on the surface of the beverageuntil the last sip of the beverage is consumed.

[0037] The size of the foam bubbles may be measured and directlyevaluated by means of a scanner, e.g., by scanning the product foam andmeasuring the bubble size. A suitable scanner is e.g. HP Scanjet II CXor Agfa Snapscan.

[0038] Merely processing the roasted coffee beans to a coffee baseconcentrate as described above will result in the loss of substantiallyall coffee aroma. Therefore, it is preferred to specifically strip offand then collect the coffee aroma during processing. In this way, thecoffee aroma is not lost and is returned to the powder. Processes forstripping off and collecting the coffee aroma are well known. Usuallycoffee aroma is stripped off at one or more stages; for example:—

[0039] using an inert gas or steam during, or immediately after,grinding of the coffee beans, and

[0040] using steam to strip coffee aroma from the coffee extract duringextraction.

[0041] Alternatively, the fresh coffee grounds may be slurried in wateror coffee extract and the coffee aroma stripped from the slurry. Asuitable procedure is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,957, the entiredisclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by referencethereto.

[0042] The coffee aroma may be captured using any suitable procedure.Ordinarily, the coffee aroma is captured by condensing from the carriergas it in one or more condensers. Preferably more than one condenser isused; each succeeding condenser being operated at a lower temperaturethan the previous condenser. If necessary or desired, one of thecondensers may be a cryogenic aroma condenser. A suitable cryogenicaroma condenser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,926; the disclosureof which is incorporated by reference. The captured coffee aroma may, ifdesired, be concentrated using a suitable technique such as partialcondensation or rectification. The captured coffee aroma may be combinedwith a suitable carrier substrate such as coffee oil or emulsioncontaining coffee oil or other fats. Aqueous coffee aroma components andorganic coffee aroma components are then separated. A suitable methodfor separating aqueous coffee aroma components from organic coffee aromacomponents is described in US published patent application 2002018839,the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by referencethereto.

[0043] The processes for the production of the coffee extract andcapture of the coffee aroma may be carried out under oxygen reduced oroxygen free conditions if desired. This may be accomplished as is knownin the art; for example by carrying out the processes under a blanket ofinert gas. Further, deoxygenated water may be used whenever water isnecessary in the process.

[0044] The coffee aroma is preferably stored under oxygen reduced oroxygen free conditions and frozen. Similarly, the coffee baseconcentrate may be stored under oxygen reduced or oxygen freeconditions. Further, if desired, oxygen scavengers may be added to thecoffee aroma and/or coffee base concentrate. Suitable oxygen scavengersare described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,436, the disclosure of which isexpressly incorporated herein by reference thereto.

[0045] The soluble beverage powder preferably contains about 0.05% toabout 0.5% by weight of aqueous coffee aroma components; more preferablyabout 0.1% to about 0.3% by weight.

[0046] Preferably the aqueous coffee aroma components include highlyvolatile aqueous aroma components that condense at temperatures lessthan about 0° C.

[0047] The aqueous coffee aroma components are natural aroma componentsthat may be collected during the preparation of soluble coffee powder.This may be done by standard procedures for collecting coffee aromacomponents or by suitably modifying the standard procedures. Preferably,the natural aroma components include highly volatile aroma components.Highly volatile aroma components are those which condense at atemperature below about 0° C.

[0048] To collect highly volatile aroma components, the standardprocedures usually entail flushing volatile aroma components from thecoffee during processing using an inert carrier gas such as nitrogen.The aroma-laden carrier gas is then chilled to temperatures lower thanabout −40° C., and sometimes as low as about −195° C., to cause thearoma components to condense. The condensed aroma components are thencollected. The condensed aroma components are then usually absorbed intoan aroma substrate; usually an oil. Alternatively, the aromas may beabsorbed into the aroma substrate during condensation. Suitable standardprocedures are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,823,241,5,030,473, and 5,222,364, the disclosures of each of which are expresslyincorporated herein by reference thereto.

[0049] However, in the standard procedures described above, thearomatized aroma substrate obtained contains both aqueous and organicaroma components. In general, the aqueous components are then removedand often discarded because they are unstable and cause instabilityproblems. This leaves the aroma substrate containing substantially onlyorganic aroma components. However, instead of discarding these aqueouscomponents, these components are collected in the form of an aqueousaroma solution.

[0050] The aqueous aroma solution is then added to the other componentsmaking up the beverage prior to drying of the components. Sufficientaqueous aroma solution may be added such that the aqueous coffee aromacomponents comprise about 0.05% to about 0.5% by weight of the beveragepowder; and preferably about 0.1% to about 1% in the concentrate beforedrying.

[0051] The coffee creamer is conveniently produced by preparing acreamer solution containing the desired amount of protein, carbohydrateand lipids. For example, 30% skimmed milk, 40% lactose, 30% vegetableoil or milk fat. Water may be added when powdered raw material is used.

[0052] The creamer solution is then heat treated at about 90° C. toabout 120° C. for about 1 to about 500 seconds; and preferably about105° C. to about 115° C. for about 5 seconds to about 20 seconds. Thismay be carried out in a heat exchanger or by direct injection of steam,or a combination of both. The creamer solution is then concentrated byevaporation, and usually to a total solids concentration of about 40% toabout 60% by weight. Suitable evaporators may be used.

[0053] A coffee solution may then be added to the concentrated creamersolution. The coffee solution may as discussed above be a concentratedcoffee extract obtained from a coffee extraction process or may beprepared by dissolving coffee powder into a desired amount of water. Theconcentration of the coffee solids in the coffee solution is preferablysimilar to the concentration of the creamer solids in the concentratedcreamer solution.

[0054] Further, the aqueous aroma as described above is added to theconcentrated creamer solution, as well as the soluble filler, andstabilizers may preferably be added to the concentrated creamersolution.

[0055] The wet mix is then subjected to a pre-flocculation treatment.The pH of the concentrated mixture is, if necessary, standardized toabout 5.5 to about 6.5 and preferably from about 6.1 to about 6.4. Also,if necessary, the calcium content of the mixture may be standardized toabout 3 to about 5 mmol/l. The aroma substrate may then be mixed intothe standardized mixture.

[0056] The mixture is then subjected to heat treatment at about 90° C.to about 120° C. for about 1 to about 500 seconds; and preferably atabout 105° C. to about 115° C. for about 5 seconds to about 20 seconds.This may be carried out in a heat exchanger or by direct injection ofsteam, or a combination of both. This heat treatment causes controlledflocculation of proteins in the mixture.

[0057] It is also possible to carry out the pre-flocculation treatmenton the concentrated creamer solution prior to addition of the coffeesolution, but this is less preferred.

[0058] The wet mix is then subjected to homogenization. This ispreferably carried out in two stages. For example homogenization may becarried out in a first stage at about 10 MPa to about 30 MPa and then ina second stage at about 2 MPa to about 7 MPa.

[0059] Subsequently, the wet mix may be gassed by injecting of a gassuch as nitrogen or carbon dioxide into it. The gas is then dispersedwithin the mixture by means of a dispersing machine and the gassedmixture is then passed onto a homogenizer.

[0060] Preferred amount of gases are from about 10 to about 30 liters ofgas for each 10 kg of dry matter. More preferably from about 15 to about25 liters of gas for each 10 kg of dry matter. The preferred gas isnitrogen as it has been found to give the best foaming effect of thepowder.

[0061] The gassed and homogenized mixture is then spay-dried in aconventional manner. The spray-dried powder has a matrix comprising thesoluble filler and the soluble coffee solids. The spray drying mayconveniently take place in a spray-drying tower having for example aDe-Lavan spray nozzle. The pressure in front of the nozzle is preferablyin the range of from 45 to 70 bars and the temperature in the tower ispreferably in the range of from 75 to 9520 C. Subsequent to the drying,the powder may be cooled in a fluidized bed cooler and exits the finalsieve at a temperature of 40° C. It is preferred that the tappedspecific gravity of the powder be in the range from about 150 to about250 g/l, and more preferably is between about 200 and about 220 g/l.Tapped specific gravity is referring to the gravity of the powder whencompressed by vibrating the powder with 100 pushes of 10 mm.

EXAMPLES

[0062] Specific examples are now described to further illustrate theinvention.

Example 1 Preparation of the Soluble Coffee Beverage Powder

[0063] Samples of the soluble coffee beverage powder according to theinvention are prepared as follows: All figures are given as dry matterin the final product.

[0064] 1) A coffee creamer is prepared by diluting 20% wt sugar, and 10to 30% wt oligofructose in whole milk.

[0065] 2) Adding stabilizers of 0.5 to 1.0% wt of sodium hydrogenphosphate and 0.1 to 0.5% wt sodium citrate to the coffee creamer in awatery solution.

[0066] 3) Additional water is added to provide a total dry mattercontent of 16%+/−2% prior to evaporation and the first heat treatment.

[0067] 4) Adding aqueous coffee aroma to the coffee creamer concentrateat 0.3 to 1% wt.

[0068] 5) Providing a coffee liquor of 45 to 50% dry matter content, andmixing the coffee liquor with the creamer part in a ratio of 25 to 30%.

[0069] 6) The mixture is subjected to a second heat treatment forpre-flocculation at 100 to 110° C.

[0070] 7) The mixture is gassed with a 2 to 3 liters of nitrogen per kgof dry matter.

[0071] 8) The samples are now optionally subjected to a homogenizationstep at 100 to 110 bars, in a first stage, and a second stage of 50 to60 bars, in a conventional homogenizer.

[0072] 9) The mixture is fed to the spray dryer and spray-dried at 80 to90° C. in a spray drying tower with an output of about 700 kg per hour.

[0073] 10) The sprayed coffee powder is cooled to about 40° C.

[0074] The tapped specific gravity of the final soluble coffee powderafter cooling is between 200 and 250 g/L.

Example 2 Preparation of the Beverage

[0075] Samples of beverage are prepared as follows:

[0076] 7 g of a soluble beverage coffee powder as prepared in Example 1is put into cups and 80 ml hot water is added. A fine crema comes upwith a marble-like colored surface. The powder is partly or totallywetted depending on how the water is poured into the cups. Afterstirring the beverage, the surface is light yellow brown with concentriccircles in different light shade of yellow brown. During preparation afull, strong aroma of fresh brew coffee comes up.

[0077] The crema is examined with the bare eye, and substantially noindividual foam bubbles can be distinguished.

Example 3 Evaluation of the Beverage

[0078] A taste panel evaluated the samples prepared in Example 1 and 2,and then compared them with samples of commercially available solublecoffee products in the same concentration. These samples are prepared inthe same concentration. The commercial available coffee products arewithout a crema.

[0079] A) Nescafe Gold from Germany: 2 g mixed with 70 ml hot water and10 g whole UHT milk.

[0080] B) Nescafe au Lait: 7 g mixed with 80 ml hot water.

[0081] The samples following examples 1 and 2 are described as lessbitter than A) and more aromatic than B). The overall impression of thesamples following example 1 and 2 is that they are like a fresh brewedcoffee without any aggressive notes.

What is claimed is:
 1. A soluble coffee beverage powder, comprising asoluble gas containing matrix comprising, as ingredients, between 10%and 35% soluble coffee solids by weight of the total dry matter of thematrix, from about 10% to about 35% pre-flocculated creamer by weight,and from about 12% to about 30% oligosaccharrides effective to diluteprotein in the creamer by weight, wherein the powder, upon the additionof water, forms a coffee beverage having a foamed upper layer based uponall of the ingredients with substantially all foam of the layer beingmade up of bubbles having diameters of 0.05 to 0.5 mm.
 2. The powder ofclaim 1, wherein the soluble coffee solids are present in an amount ofbetween 25% and 35% by weight of the total dry matter of the matrix. 3.The powder of claim 1, wherein the soluble gas containing matrixincludes from about 10% to about 25% of a soluble sweetener by weight ofthe total dry matter of the matrix.
 4. The powder of claim 1, whereinthe gas-containing matrix includes aqueous based aroma.
 5. The powder ofclaim 1, wherein the soluble gas containing matrix is obtained as adried wet mix of the ingredients.
 6. The powder of claim 1, wherein thesoluble gas-containing matrix is obtained as a homogenized dried wet mixof the ingredients.
 7. The powder of claim 1, wherein thepre-flocculated creamer is present in an amount of about 20% to about30%.
 8. The powder of claim 1, wherein the gas containing matrix furthercomprises one or more stabilizers in an amount sufficient to reduceflocculation.
 9. The powder of claim 1, wherein the oligosaccharridesare provided by oligofructose.
 10. The powder of claim 9, wherein theoligofructose includes a concentration of mono- and disaccharrides inthe range of from about 3% to about 7%.
 11. The powder of claim 9,wherein the oligofructose is present in an amount of about 15% to about25%.
 12. The powder of claim 1, wherein the oligosaccharrides areprovided by lactose.
 13. A process for providing a soluble coffeebeverage powder, which, upon the addition of water, forms a coffeebeverage having a foamed upper layer, which process comprises:providing, as ingredients, between 10% and 35% soluble coffee solids byweight of the total dry matter of the matrix, from about 10% to about35% pre-flocculated creamer by weight, and from about 12% to about 30%oligosaccharrides effective to dilute protein in the creamer by weight,mixing the ingredients to a wet mix with a liquid, incorporating gasinto the wet mix, and drying the wet mix to a soluble beverage powdercomprising a gas-containing matrix, which soluble beverage powder uponreconstitution with water provides a foamed upper layer based upon allof the ingredients, and in which substantially all foam is made up ofbubbles having a diameter in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 mm.
 14. Theprocess of claim 13, wherein the wet mix is gassed with from 1 to 3liters of gas per kg of dry matter.
 15. The process of claim 14, whereinthe gassed wet mix is homogenized prior to drying.
 16. The process ofclaim 13, wherein the soluble coffee is provided in the form of a coffeeconcentrate with 10% to 35% dry matter by weight of the concentrate. 17.The process of claim 13, wherein the soluble gas containing matrixincludes one or more of aqueous based aroma, from about 10% to about 25%of a soluble sweetener by weight of the total dry matter of the matrix,or one or more stabilizers in an amount sufficient to reduceflocculation.
 18. The process of claim 13, wherein the oligosaccharridesare present in an amount of between about 15% and about 25% and areprovided by oligofructose or lactose.